THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC
enormous sum of 20 pesos. The manner
in which the thread is dyed is in itself
costly and tedious, and, when woven, is
well worth the price.
There is a little cove on the Pacific
coast, about two days distant from
Tehuantepec, where the Huave Indians
go laden with skeins of coarse thread.
Here they wait until the tide is far out
and then paddle off in little boats to a
group of rocks some distance from the
shore. These rocks are covered with a
certain species of small mollusks, Aplysia
depilans, clinging fast to the rocks. The
men quickly pry off and blow into the
little shells, whereupon a milky, acrid,
and ill-smelling fluid exudes from the
animal. When they have collected
enough of this fluid the thread is thor
oughly wet with it and left in a sunny
place on the beach to dry, subsequently
being washed with soap and water, when
it turns into a beautiful and permanent
violet color. The Indians insist that this
process keeps the thread from rotting.
The men are very gentle in handling
these shells, carefully replacing them on
the rocks after their work is done. This
mollusk is closely related to the Lepus
marinus of the ancients, which history
tells us furnished the purple of vaunted
Tyre.
My hostess next took us into her kit
chen and showed us her bake oven, which
looked more like an Eskimo hut than
anything I can think of. It was very
large, all of four and a half feet high,
round, and made of clay, with a large
door in one side. A spotted pig with an
inquiring turn of mind kept close to my
heels during my stay in the kitchen, and
two brown hens pecked around as if very
much at home.
The parlor came next, a very neat,
well-kept room, and one in which our
hostess evidently took much pride. There
was an upholstered sofa and two chairs,
an elaborate "what-not" in the corner,
covered with fancy fans and gay colored
picture cards, and two or three ordinary
cane-bottomed chairs.
We sat down
here while she showed a number of na
tive ball costumes. These are very elab-
orate, especially the skirts, which are
either of brocaded velvet or of plush,
often with very intricate patterns of em
broidery and beads. These skirts are all
made in one style, very scanty, and gath
ered on to a band for the waist. With
out exception they are finished at the foot
with a pleated ruffle of stiffly starched
white cotton lace about o1 inches wide.
These costumes seem to be peculiar to
Tehuantepec, and, though, seen sometimes
at Salina Cruz and San Geronimo, are
only worn by the Tehuanas.
MARKS OF AN OLDER CIVILIZATION
There are many points of interest to
be seen round about Tehuantepec. In a
northeasterly direction, about three miles
from the town of San Geronimo, is a
curious painted rock standing straight up
from the sloping side of the Cerro de
Ixtaltepec. It is covered with quaint fig
ures and hieroglyphics painted in red,
and, though very old, these figures are
still quite distinct. It is thought by some
to have been a treaty rock, probably set
tling some dispute between two tribes in
the days before the conquest. The In
dians do not like to go near the rock,
fearing the evil spirits that abound there.
Several bright red crosses have been
painted over the figures in recent years,
evidently work done by the padres to
drive the devils away.
A number of ruins, silent evidences of
a once vast and powerful people, have
been brought to light from time to time.
One, a very interesting study, the moun
tain of Guihengola, whose summit is
covered with ruins, lies about five leagues
to the west of the town of Tehuan
tepec.
Near the summit of one of the lime
stone spurs of this mountain is a cave,
sloping downward, with several large
rooms and passages from one to the
other. After a hard climb to the summit
a large valley about two miles long is
reached. In this valley, surrounded by a
massive crumbling wall about 12 feet
wide, is a large oblong structure, sup
posedly a temple, built of small flat stones
and lime. It is 33 feet high, 90 by o05
1001